William s



W. S. HARLEY.

MAGNETO CIRCUIT BREAKER.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 29,1911.

1 ,3 1 9,3 32; Patented Oct. 21, 1919.

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Mama w UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM S. HARLEY, 0F MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR. TO HARLEY-DAVIDSON MOTOR 00., 0F MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

MAGNETO-CIRCUIT BREAKER,

Application filed June 29,1917.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, IVILLIAM S. HARLEY, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Magneto-Circuit Breakers; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof. .My invention relates to new and useful improvements in means for breaking the magneto circuits of wiring systems for motorcycles or other arrangements including a magneto driving engine and a storage battery, whereby upon stoppage of the engine, dissipation of the storage battery energy due to back flow of current through the generation, is prevented.

It is in general the object of my invention to improve the structure and efliciency of devices of this character, and it is more particularly an object to provide a circuit breaking device which is positively and quickly operated upon stoppage of the engine, and which is so arranged as to positively prevent continued retrograde rotation of the magneto as an electric motor.

A more specific object resides in the provision of a circuit breaking device dependout for its actuation upon the direction of rotation of the magneto armature.

With the above and other objects and advantages in view, the invention resides in the novel combination, formation and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a partly diagrammatic view showing my improvedcircuit breaking device associated with a motorcycle engine and wiring system. a

Fig. 2 is a detail sectional View showing the cam means for shifting the armature shaft of the magneto.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view, showing a modified arrangement for breaking the magneto circuit.

Referring now more particularly to the accompanying drawings, 5 designates conventionally a motorcycle engine, carrying the usual sparking cam 6 and connected by a train of gears 7 with a sleeve shaft 8 having a ball bearing'journal in the casing 9 of the magneto. The armature 10 of the mag- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 21, 1919.

Serial No. 177,699.

neto is carried on the usual shaft 11 and this shaft is slidably journaled at one end within the sleeve shaft 8, said shaft and armature shaft having ball bearing ournals 1-2 in the ends of the magneto casing.

13 designates the usual storage battery to which is connected the lighting circuit 14 carrying the lamps 15 arranged in parallel. Extending from one binding post of this battery is a line 16 which is branched for connection with one of the brushes 17 of the armature and for connection with a sparking switch 18 from whence a wire 19 extends to the sparking coil 20 connected by the wire '21 with'the spark plug 22 of the engine, this sparking switch 18 being controlled by the sparkin other binding post of t e storage battery a line 23 extends and is branched for connec tion with the other brush of the magneto and for connection directl with the spark coil 20. Included in the line 23 is a switch having its movable member' 24 arranged in the path of sliding movement of the outer end of the armature shaft 11, which as shown is projected outwardly of the casing. Thus longitudinal movement of the armature shaft controls the switch 24 which obviously forms part of the charging circuit connecting the battery and magneto.

My preferred means for determining the position of the shaft 11 to control the charging circuit resides in the provision of a socketed inner end portion 25 of the sleeve shaft cam 6. From the 8 and a collar 26 fixed on the armature shaft 11 and engageable in the socket. The periphery of the collar and the inner periphery of the socketed sleeve shaft end are. pro-v normal function by the engine, the ribs will exert a mutual camming action to shift the armature shaft and this shifting of the armature shaft will permit the switch 24 to close. hen the engine is stopped, there exists a tendency of the magneto to be driven in a retrograde manner, acting as a motor,

by the energy of the storage battery. Upon the occurrence of such retrograde motion, it is obvious that the ribs 27 will exert a camming action in an opposite direction to thus shift the shaft 11 and open the switch 2% to break the circuit between the magneto and battery. Upon again starting the en gine, thev shaft 11 will obviously i1nmediately shift inwardly to permit closing of the switch.

In Fig. 3 a modified form of making and breaking the magneto and storage battery circuit is shown, and this form con sists in the provision of an annular insulating portion 28 onto which the preferably spring urged brushes 1? are adapted to rlde upon shifting the armature shaft outwardly, this insulating portion 28 being disposed between the commutator 29 and the armature 10, and being preferably taperingly reduced in diameter toward the commutator. By this arrangement the necessity of provid ing a switch, with its consequent liability of getting out of order, is prevented.

Returning now to the general novel arrangement. which embodies essentially a longitudinal shifting of the armature shaft, it is seen that this arrangement is comparatively simple and is exceedingly positive in operation and it is further noted that the positive natureof the arrangement is enhanced in view of the fact that it is the retrograde actuation of the magneto as a motor which procures the breaking-of the circuit.

1 claim:

1. The con'rbination With a generator including a shiftable armature shaft, of a circuit breaking device comprising a journaled sleeve forming a bearing for slidably receiving one end of said armature shaft, coacting cam port-ions on said sleeve and shaft to cause the latter to shift upon rotation, a circuit including said generator, and means operable upon shifting movement of said shaft for controlling said circuit.

The combination with a generator including a shiftable armature shaft, of a circuit breaking device comprising a jonrnaled sleeve forming a bearing to slidably receive on end of said armature shaft, a. socket on one end of said sleeve and surrounding said shaft, a collar on the shaft slid-able into and,

out of said socket, inter-meshing cam ribs on the peripheries of said collar and socket, a circuit including said generator, and means operable upon shifting movement of said shaft for controlling said circuit.

3. The combination with a generator including a casing having an open end bearing at one end and a shiftable armature shaft disposed in said casing and having one end slidable and rotatable in said bearing, of means on said arn'iature shaft to project one end thereof outwardly of the casing through said open end bearing upon its rotation in one direction, and a switch including a pivoted arm, said arm being disposed ad acent said open end bearing to be engaged by the end of said armature shaft when the same is projected outwardly.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand at Milwaukee,

in the county of Milwaukee and State of lVisconsin.

' WVILLIAM S. HARLE Y. 

